Just because a team wins back-to-back Super Bowls does not mean that they are precluded from shaking up their roster in the offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs may not have had the same amount of cap space and wiggle room as others entering the 2024 offseason, but that hasn't stopped them from making moves so far during free agency.
Every year is precious while Patrick Mahomes is healthy, so the Chiefs have to act accordingly and maximize every season to the best of their abilities. That's why they went out and signed Marquise ‘Hollywood' Brown as a free agent. But, acquisitions like that do come at a cost. That cost ended up allowing Nick Allegretti leave to sign with the Washington Commanders. Those moves add up to the best and worst moves the Chiefs have made to start free agency.
Best move: Signing Marquise Brown
It's a bit surprising that Marquise Brown was even available on a one-year prove-it deal. It feels like factors outside of control and football ability are why that was the case. Brown has stayed healthy for most of his career. In five seasons, he has missed only 10 games, though five of those games came in 2022. When both he and Kyler Murray were healthy that year, Brown put up big numbers.
He and Murray were able to play in just three full games in the 2023 season. Brown was not able to put up the same numbers. In those three contests, he registered just nine receptions for 134 yards. But to cut him some slack, those were Murray's first three games coming back from a torn ACL, and the Cardinals' offensive philosophy was not as pass-happy with their new coaching staff as it was with Kliff Kingsbury in charge. To that point, after throwing it 664 times in 2022, Arizona attempted just 555 passes in 2023.
Pass volume and efficiency won't be a problem in Kansas City with Mahomes under center (the Chiefs' 635 pass attempts last season was the second-most in the NFL). The play of their wide receivers, however, was a big problem. Rookie Rashee Rice was the only wide receiver on the team to exceed 500 receiving yards in 2023. After him, the leaders in receiving yards among Chiefs receivers was Justin Watson (460), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (315), and Skyy Moore (244).
Even though Kansas City won the Super Bowl in each of the last two seasons, they had to do something to improve their wide receiver room. Rice helped out in a big way a year ago, but there was just too much pressure on Travis Kelce.
Brown has the speed to take the top off of defenses and free up more space for Kelce and Rice, but he can also win on intermediate routes to avoid being a one-trick pony the way Watson and Valdes-Scantling are. The best part about the Brown acquisition was the bargain the Chiefs got him on.
On an annual basis, Brown is sandwiched between Robert Woods and Kendrick Bourne. He is much better than both of those players. If he plays well, it may be hard to keep him. But the Chiefs have a yearly window to win Super Bowls as long as Mahomes is healthy, and Brown can absolutely help the Chiefs on their quest for a three-peat. This was a great signing.
Grade: A+
Worst move: Letting Nick Allegretti walk away
The thing about depth is no one knows when they'll need it… until they need it. Nick Allegretti was a backup guard for the Chiefs all season long, but after starting guard Joe Thuney got hurt in the playoffs, they needed Allegretti to step into his spot and hold the fort down. He did exactly that.
Nick Allegretti in 2023:
160 pass-blocking snaps
12 QB pressures allowed
2 sacks allowed
65.7 PFF Grade pic.twitter.com/IivOtCxFJf— PFF Commanders (@PFF_Washington) March 12, 2024
Allegretti ended up inking a three-year deal with the Washington Commanders for $16 million, $9 million of which is guaranteed. The Chiefs probably could've found a way to keep him at that number, but probably had too many areas of the roster to address over a backup guard. They can't pay everyone.
The Chiefs' 2024 Super Bowl hopes won't hinge on them losing Allegretti. But he absolutely helped them win this last championship. They can win without him, but time will tell how much they'll end up missing have him as an insurance policy.
Grade: C
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